How Unpleasant
by Door Is Ajar
Summary: Two one-shots and one "half-shot." The two times Kuriyama's key phrase expressed her happiness and the one time it expressed nothing but pain.
1. Nightmare

The first time, he was rudely awoken from a rather pleasant dream. Knocking on his door, a halfhearted gesture for entrance. He slid out of his cocoon of a blanket, making it to the door with heavy, sleep-laden steps. It would have been smart to check the peephole first, but he was too occupied with rubbing the sleep off his face to bother and instead outright opened the door.

"Hello?" he mumbled, a yawn cutting off anything else he might have wished to ask.

A moment of silence, and his actions were frozen by a soft, "Senpai?"

He blinked a few rough times to clear his vision and then invited her in.

The process would repeat for the next four days, in which he would make his guest a warm cup of tea and insist she spend the night- of course he would, after seeing the bright red _1:27_ flashing at him from his bedside clock. He would insist she use his bed, but- as the visitor- she would insist on the couch. His clock had read _2:36_ ten minutes before he felt a weight begin to press into the bed, bringing him out of the near-sleep state. A sigh followed, but he didn't dare move.

It was painful to wait, but he leaned over to see _3:04_ on his clock- along with Kuriyama curled into his back, laying atop his covers.

The sixth night never came, per-say. He requested she walk home with him, maybe for some dinner or just to help with homework. He explained they could do whatever she needed to. He had left the television on by accident, and she asked timidly if they could just watch something.

He found her asleep once _8:42_ came, not long after he had gone off to work on homework of his own. Carefully, he lifted her from the couch and carried her into his room. He laid her gently onto his bed, and, by the time he had cleaned up his homework, the dishes, shut the television off, and found two nice sized covers for him and Kuriyama, the red lights shows him _9:19_.

A yawn escaped him, and he darkened the house to fall into slumber on his couch. He drowned into unconsciousness with the faint smell of Kuriyama lingering in the material.

He jolted awake at _12:24_ , a scream rattling the house.

He rushed to his own room, but decided against entering. Instead, he steeled himself, only allowing a peek past the door frame.

Faint breathing could be heard, along with a small shuddering breath. He feigned innocence and stepped in.

"Kuriyama-san? Are you alright?" He stepped closer. "I thought I heard something from out in the main room, but I wasn't sure." Even closer, and now he sat himself on the bed, facing away from her.

She wouldn't answer, nothing besides muttering, "A nightmare."

Her muffled cries would lull her to sleep, sitting upright; and only when Akihito pressed her back down into his bed did she utter another word.

"Don't leave." It was soft, filled with sleep. He turned to see a hand on his arm and her eyes still closed.

The process repeated nearly identically for the next night. This time, however, when he picked up Kuriyama and brought her into his room, he tucked the sleeping girl under the covers and laid next to her. He stared at her face for a while, and he recalled seeing _10:02_ on his clock before he entered. It now showed _10:46_.

Nearing _11:05_ , when the girl's features began to show her growing discomfort, he placed his thumb on her face, rubbing the creases she was making.

She didn't show another sign of discomfort until _6:32_ the following morning, in which she noticed a pair of eyes wearily staring back at her, and muttered a halfhearted "How unpleasant."

 ** _End_**


	2. Youmu

He was the one to convince her. If not for his stupid self, she wouldn't be in such a disheveled state right now, with him wondering if she were really going to be alright.

But she needed money. Not that she went around bragging her lack of funds- but her stomach sure did. He had casually suggested she try for a harder Youmu: one that she could still quickly destroy but make a large sum of money easily. She was instructed to one that had currently hidden itself on the roof of the school. Of course, because he had come up with the idea in the first place, he accompanied her.

It quickly took a turn for the worse.

The Youmu seemed to evolve the more Kuriyama attacked it. The large bird-like creature was able to take a hit and suck on a small portion of the blood- which wore Kuriyama out and allowed it to grow more in power. It shot a few balls of green liquid at her, which forced her into a game of hopscotch to avoid each sweltering hot attack. It was the fifth blow to the monster's neck that the monster began to glow. Kuriyama was blown back as a whirlwind engulfed it.

To the surprise of both, the bird had morphed into a rather ugly dog-beast. With a large leap, the beast jumped on top of Kuriyama. With the dog standing on top of her body, her last resort to avoid a mouth biting her face was to shove her sword at it. She could feel blood begin to drip as the dog chewed away at it, and over the growling she could faintly hear Akihito call out her name.

For a second, the dog seemed to freeze. It was a sudden jolt to Kuriyama as she felt blood begin to pool underneath her. She couldn't understand why she was feeling so much pain so rapidly and so suddenly. All that she could comprehend, though, was the idea that this beast needed to die.

She quickly forced her blood- currently still being chewed upon by the dog- to splatter. It cut deep, down into the dog's throat. It inevitably killed the monster, and with a flash of light, the gem popped out and onto the ground.

However, she could barely comprehend releasing her blood from the confusing pain rippling in waves across her entire abdomen. Her vision and hearing were blurring, but she could just make out Akihito running up to her screaming her name out frantically.

She welcomed the blackness that was clouding her vision, but it was interrupted as Akihito began to lift her up.

"What happened?" she asked, barely a whisper.

"The Youmu extended its claws. They went straight through you," he quickly answered. He made it to his feet, albeit wobbly and with the thought of Kuriyama's well-being nagging and consuming his brain.

Kuriyama herself couldn't make out much of what happened next. Her ears heard Akihito faintly calling someone, followed by, _"No, I didn't turn into a Youmu! Just get help ready!"_

The soft clicks of his phone met her ears as he hung up. The phone was shoved into his pocket, and he rushed down the stairs and out of the school. Kuriyama's memory went blank once he reached the bottom.

* * *

When she woke, a soreness spread throughout her body, and a bleached white ceiling met her eyes. It actually hurt, the brightness of it. She had previously been content on watching the blackness of her eyelids as she feel unconscious, and the sudden change was too much, especially with the similar wall color and bright, golden lights from above.

"Kuriyama-san?"

She turned her head to find a groggy Akihito, apparently having just been asleep across his arms on her bed.

Realization seemed to hit him, and his face grew more alive.

"Kuriyama-san," he started. He jumped up, standing above her and checking what he could see outside of the blanket wrapped around her. "Are you feeling alright?"

He had the most uncontrollable smile on his face, tears almost threatening to fall because of his idiotic happiness. Despite her own relief, she looked away, fighting off a smile of her own.

"How unpleasant."

 ** _End_**


	3. Stolen

_[ **Warning** : Do not read if you do not like cliffhangers, as this "cliffhanger" is permanent.]_

He can't help the chills that run down his back. His hand begins to shake, and he brings his other up to the phone, attempting to calm his nerves. They had shot up upon hearing the man on the other end- immediately after seeing the call originally coming from Kuriyama's phone.

"Hey, kid, I got your little girlfriend over here. I haven't done nothing to her yet... Not really, anyways..." The man gave a small laugh at his own humor before continuing. "You hear me? Or do you just not believe you? I would have thought using her phone would be enough evidence."

There's a slight pause, and Akihito _wants_ to say something, but the words are caught in his throat.

"Nothing, huh? Just hold on a second, bub, I think I got the trick to wake you up."

He hears the slightest dud as the phone is set down somewhere. The constricting feeling in his chest leaps when he makes out a muffled gasp from the other end- followed by a scream and whimper.

"Kuriyama-san! Hey! Kuriyama-san, are you there?" He's screaming himself, and his voice almost doesn't halt the onslaught of her name.

Metal clings next to the phone, and it is eventually back in the hands of the unknown assailant. "You can still save her, you kno-"

"How?" Akihito is immediately jumping to the door of his space, sliding his shoes on and heading out the door.

"Be at the school- Eh, what's the name? Anyway, be there at eight. Either that or your little girlfriend's gonna bleed to death."

The dial tone picks up after the call ends, and Akihito is vaguely away of the sweat he's broken out into. He checks the clock on his phone: _7:48_. Only if he runs the trip will he make it in time.

He does just that, even forgetting to close the door completely to his apartment. The phone is shaking in his grasp, but there's nothing he can do to stop it. He uses the new-found adrenaline to push him forward, and he decides to risk taking two- even three- steps at a time up a set of stairs. His phone is flashing an ominous _7:56,_ but his feet won't move faster. A burn is already starting to set in from taking off at the start like a rocket.

Another minute passes, and he's busting around a corner and into the front courtyard of the school. Panting, he's searching, neck jerking around in any direction possible. A mantra starts of silent no's, and the phone is brought up to his ear, redialing Kuriyama's number. A hand up to his forehead and he's pacing as he listens to the ringing.

A break in the line is heard, accompanied by a, "Hello?"

"Where are you?" Akihito suddenly asks.

"Well, now! I actually didn't think you'd come, to be perfectly honest!" There's laughing, and it takes everything in Akihito not to scream bloody murder at him. This isn't some Youmu that Kuriyma can slaughter; this is a live human being, one who probably has her tied up and prevented from using her powers. "Just relax, kid. It's all fine here." In the break, Akihito can make out a muffled cry, and the man is laughing once more.

"Hey, now, just explain to me one thing: Is there a little something wrong with your friend? She's awfully pale, and she's barely lost any blood."

Akihito forgoes the man, breaking his vocal cords in the hope Kuriyama can hear through the phone. "Kuriyama-san! Can you hear me? Kuriyama-san, are you alright?"

He's not the one in trouble, but sweat is beginning to coat the hand on his forehead.

"Aw, don't bother with her. She's pretty much out of it. If you want to stop that, though, all you gotta do is enter the school."

The man can hear the steady sprint instantly, and Akihito is trying to speak over the running. "Where are you? What floor?"

He's entered the front door, already picked open, and is ascending the first flight.

"Second floor. First room on the right."

A sharp turn up the stairs and another to bound the corner into the room. Half of the lights were on the in the room, making it slightly obvious it was inhabited. What greets his sights makes his legs wobbly and his mouth hang ajar.

A large man, clothed in all black with a stereotypical ski mask on, is sitting on the teacher's desk. The majority of the desks are pushed towards the back of the room- excluding one. It lay a few feet from the teacher's desk, and in it sat Kuriyama. A strip of tape was across her mouth with her hands bound behind the seat. What stood out to Akihito, though, was the knife in the assailant's hand, along with the blood coating it, the blood on the floor, and the blood dripping out of Kuriyama's stabbed leg.

He swallowed a lump in his throat, and his idea of rushing straight at Kuriyama came to a halt. The sight scared him, he had to admit. He didn't even know how many other hidden wounds she had. He was only brought out of the trance by the man speaking to him.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you!" He jumped off of the desk; and instead of stepping closer to Akihito, he made his way to Kuriyama. "Now, kid, don't do anything rash. Just as long as you can do one thing for me, I'll hand her over. Deal?"

His eyes remained glued on Kuriyama; and slowly, as the man spoke, her eyes began to open from whatever sleep she had been induced to. She stayed quiet, even upon seeing Akihito. Of course, she didn't have much choice beyond odd mumblings through the tape on her mouth.

"What?"

"Stab her."

He froze, but he couldn't help a soft, "Huh?"

"Stab her. You heard me." A pause, just as he licked his lips to begin a new speech. "Listen, I've been doing this crime stuff long enough. I used to have a wife, some kids. It was all great. Except some sick-o decided that while I had gone out and murdered his wife, he would do the same to mine. It's pretty fair, except now I can do the same without my family getting injured in the process. This little brat was the closest thing I could find, and you seem to be the closest person to her. So why not make you both suffer a little bit?"

The knife was extended to him. "Eh, kid? Gonna go for it? It's not like you're gonna kill her."

Hesitantly, Akihito reached for the knife, and- showing he understood- he took it cautiously from the man's hand, making sure he retained eye contact. He neared Kuriyama with the knife, and a painful constriction was appearing in his chest at the terrified expression the petite girl carried.

It took a second for Akihito to turn on the man, stabbing him through the abdomen.

He writhed on the floor, and Akihito made quick work of slashing the rope that constricted Kuriyama and peeling the tape off her mouth.

He grabbed at her shoulders, staring into her eyes. "Can you stand?" Akihito asked.

It was an obvious no with the shake of her head, and she was hastily flung over his shoulder. He rushed out of the door and down a flight of stairs. Only once they were outside the school did Akihito break momentarily. It was only then he felt the immense drool of blood beginning to coat him.

There was blood roaring in his ears, and he couldn't decide which direction to take. He had stolen the man's only weapon, which now hung tightly in his free hand. His ears were already straining to hear if someone were pursuing him, but something else- something softer caught his attention.

A soft calling of "Senpai" in his ear was slowly coming in clear. It was weak, and if the pounding raging his body into an adrenaline-filled burst were any louder, he wouldn't have heard it.

"What is it- what's wrong?" he quickly asked- just as he decided to go left, the closest route to his home.

"Put me down, please," she requested quite shakily.

Akihito had just entered a forest, hopefully to ward off the man- or any others he might have attracted- who still wanted Kuriyama. "Wha-Why?"

"Please!"

He stopped in his tracks. Bubbles were forming in his stomach, and he knew he couldn't take any more un-welcomed surprises.

That would include watching as Kuriyama dropped- unable to support herself on her own- and spit out blood making home in her mouth. He was getting anxious, and he had to admit he was probably overreacting more than Kuriyama herself was. She spit once more into the red gooey pile on the ground before Akihito surprisingly dropped down and lifted Kuriyama into his arms.

He needed help. And no amount of Kuriyama's "How unpleasant" would stop his gut-deep worry.

 _ **End**_

* * *

 _I wrote these three chapters at the end of 2013/beginning of 2014 after the anime concluded. I never wound up publishing them, until now; and I hope that someone can enjoy these three short pieces. Thank you. :) **  
**_


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